What are the four D's of a malpractice lawsuit?

• A. Duty, Dereliction, Direct Cause, Damages
• B. Duty, Deviation, Direct Cause, Damages
• C. Duty, Dereliction, Direct Impact, Damages
• D. Duty, Dereliction, Direct Cause, Damageses

Answer: (A)

In a malpractice claim, four elements must be proven: a duty of care owed by the provider to the patient, a breach of that duty (dereliction of the standard of care), a direct link showing the breach caused the injury (direct cause), and actual damages resulting from the injury. These four are the foundation of liability.

The best answer lists those exact elements: Duty, Dereliction, Direct Cause, Damages. It matches the standard framework—the provider must owe a duty, fail to meet it (dereliction), the failure must directly cause harm, and there must be damages from that harm.

Other options use nonstandard or misspelled terms (such as deviation, direct impact, or damageses) or swap terminology, which do not align with how malpractice liability is evaluated.